United Way Perth-Huron has launched a petition encouraging the federal and Ontario governments to invest in new community housing for the region.
United Way Executive Director Ryan Erb said a lot of residents can’t afford the rents and prices on the current market.
“That’s why we need serious new investments in community housing owned by non-profits, co-ops, and the public sector — housing that’s truly affordable for struggling families,” Erb said in a media release.
United Way said most units in the region were built through federal and provincial programs back in the 60s and 70s, with wait times for a unit described as long, even “stretching into years.”
Director of United Way Way Perth-Huron’s United Housing, Kathy Vassilakos, said they need hundreds or thousands of new units to end the ongoing housing crisis, adding funding is crucial to reach the goal.
Signatures will be collected until early fall, with plans to send the petition to Canadian Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson and Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack.
